The deceased, who remains unidentified to protect his privacy, is also said to have contracted a bacteria.
The situation was denounced in a statement sent out by Left Bloc MPs who have asked the Health Ministry for additional clarification.
The victim first visited the hospital late in December after suffering strong abdominal pains. He was given an orange wristband after an initial assessment, deeming his case ‘urgent’, but was discharged that same day after being seen.
However, family members insisted he be admitted for medical observation and the man was kept in a hospital ‘clinical decisions’ ward for two days while undergoing a number of tests.
He was eventually admitted permanently, but contracted a resistant hospital bug shortly afterwards.
The man is said to have waited two weeks for a colonoscopy due to a lack of specialists at the unit and was submitted to an emergency operation last month after the situation worsened, but died a day later, on 20 January.
“According to medical reports that members of the Left Bloc had access to, the patient waited two weeks for a colonoscopy, due to lack of gastroenterologists in the emergency ward of that hospital and throughout the Algarve region, and during this period there was a further lack of exams as well as the ‘disappearance’ of other exams on the system”, the Left Bloc said in a statement sent to The Portugal News this week.
Mid-January the patient’s clinical situation worsened and he was submitted to an emergency operation but died the following day.
“In the absence of additional information to the family about the circumstances of the death in Portimão Hospital, the Left Bloc would like to know if the CHA [hospital administration] will be opening an inquiry into this death.
And to “get the relevant conclusions, not only to know the facts related to this case but to prevent similar situations occuring in the future.” The Left Bloc MPs said they believe it is also appropriate that the IGAS [General Inspectorate for Health Activities] opens an investigation.